Glare prevention system and method for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A system and a method for glare prevention. The method includes providing an image view of the face of the vehicle occupant; determining levels of light at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant; determining a direction to a light source causing the levels of light at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant; determining an area where to activate a glare protector; and activating the glare protector in the determined area to protect the vehicle occupant from glare caused by a light source.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2018/109907, filed Oct. 11, 2018, which claims the benefit ofEuropean Application No. 17205878.6, filed Dec. 7, 2017, the disclosuresof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure pertains to the field of light detection and systems andmethods for preventing glare in the eyes of a driver of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Today it is common for occupants of a vehicle, in particular for thedriver of a vehicle, to get dazzled by light in the eyes while driving.Glare can be caused in particularly by the sun, e.g. during sunset andsunrise. Reflections of sunlight can also cause glare. Glare can also becaused by different light sources such as from headlights from othercars. Glare can have a blinding effect on the driver. This can bepainful and irritating, and it can also be dangerous and risk and affectthe safety of the driving. If the driver cannot see due to the glare,the driver can in a worst case end up in an accident causing death orinjury. A natural way to get glare protection is to hold up a hand thatshadows the eyes. When driving however both hands need to be occupiedwith e.g. holding the wheel and changing gear. A common solution todayto avoid getting sun glare, and to avoid using the hand of a driver toget the shadow of the eyes, is to use foldable sun visors. Thesefoldable sun visors are often mechanical visors that the driver of thevehicle can pull, or fold down, in front of the driver in order tocreate some shadow for the eyes and thereby get some glare protectionfor safer driving.

SUMMARY

Today there is a demand for a better, more convenient, and safer way toprevent glare. An object of the present disclosure is to provide asystem and method which seek to mitigate, alleviate, or eliminate one ormore of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantagessingly or in any combination.

The disclosure proposes a glare prevention system for a vehiclecomprising a camera arranged to provide an image view of a vehicleoccupant and a glare protector arranged to at least dampen light from alight source so that the vehicle occupant is less disturbed. The systemfurther comprising a processing circuitry, connected to the camera andthe glare protector. The processing circuitry is configured to cause theglare prevention system to provide an image view of the face of thevehicle occupant and determine, based on the image view, differentlevels of light at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant. Theprocessing circuitry is configured to cause the glare prevention systemto determine a direction between the face and the light source causingthe different levels of light at the plural parts of the face of thevehicle occupant and determine an area where to activate the glareprotector and then activate the glare protector in the determined areato protect the vehicle occupant from glare caused by the light source.An advantage with the system is that an occupant of a vehicle, e.g. anoperator or a driver of a car, can avoid getting disturbed by glare andthis results in a much comfortable, and safe, driving experience.

According to an aspect the processing circuitry is further configured tocause the glare prevention system to determine, based on the image view,a direction of the face of the vehicle occupant in relation to theposition of the camera. The knowledge of the direction of the face ofthe vehicle occupant in relation to the position of the camera is usedwhen determining the area where to activate the glare protector.

According to an aspect, determining the direction between the face andthe light comprising comparing the image view of the face of the vehicleoccupant with at least one pre-stored image view, wherein the at leastone pre-stored image view being associated with a known direction to aknown light source causing correlating levels of light at correlatingplural parts of a face in the at least one pre-stored image view as thelight source is causing to the face of the vehicle occupant in the imageview, and assigning the same direction to be the direction to the lightsource. In other words, the direction between the face and the lightsource can be determined by utilizing the already existing directiondata that is associated with the pre-stored image view that has similar,or correlating parts, of the face with the correlating levels of lights,e.g. the same shadow effects, as the image view of the vehicle occupant.The information about the direction between the face and the lightsource is used when determining the area where to activate the glareprotector.

According to an aspect the glare protector is at least any of a smartwindow with light blocking segments, a movable curtain or a movablecover element. The glare protector can be any object that is arranged todampen or block light. This means that the glare protector can be pureelectric, electro-mechanic, or mechanic depending on the best suitabledesign for the vehicle in question and depending on any existingapparatus in the vehicle that can be used by the glare preventionsystem.

According to an aspect the direction of the face of the vehicle occupantis defined by a three dimensional vector that is perpendicular to a twodimensional plane that is connecting the eyes and the chin of thevehicle occupant. An advantage with defining the direction of the facein this way is that it is easy for a camera to detect the eyes and thechin of a human and also that the line of sight for most humans iswithin the viewing angle around this vector.

According to an aspect the direction of the face of the vehicle occupantis determined in relation to the position of the camera and/or the atleast one glare protector. An advantage with knowing the direction ofthe face of the vehicle occupant in relation to the camera and/or the atleast one glare protector is that the camera and/or the at least oneglare protector are/is mounted in the vehicle and hence static.

According to an aspect the level of light at different parts of the faceof the vehicle occupant is detected by a light sensor in the camera. Thecamera captures the light in the face of the vehicle occupant andconvert it into electrical signals and this information can be processedby the processing circuitry.

According to an aspect the direction to the light source is relative tothe direction of the face of the vehicle occupant. The knowledge of thisrelation is useful information that can be processed by the processingcircuitry when determining the area where to activate the glareprotector.

According to an aspect at least one pre-stored image view comprising adigital three dimensional image of a face having correlating levels oflight at the correlating plural parts of the face as the face of thevehicle occupant in the image view. An advantage with using a threedimensional image of a face is that the processing of the image viewdata by the processing circuitry can be more efficient.

According to an aspect the at least one pre-stored image view comprisinga three dimensional image of the face of the vehicle occupant havingcorrelating levels of light at the correlating plural parts of the faceas the face of the vehicle occupant in the image view. This means that amore precise face data of the specific vehicle occupant can be used fora better determination of the area where to activate the glareprotector.

According to an aspect the area where to provide the glare protector inorder to protect the vehicle occupant from glare caused by a lightsource, is determined by using the direction to the light source and thedirection of the face of the vehicle occupant in relation to theposition of the camera. The knowledge of these relations can be used forbetter determination of the area where to activate the glare protector.

The disclosure further proposes a method for protecting a vehicleoccupant from glare caused by a light source. The method comprising thesteps of providing, by a camera, an image view of the face of thevehicle occupant and determining, based on the image view, levels oflight at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant. This isfollowed by determining a to a light source causing the levels of lightat plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant and determining anarea where to activate a glare protector, and then activating the glareprotector in the determined area to protect the vehicle occupant fromglare caused by a light source. An advantage with the system is that anoccupant of a vehicle, e.g. an operator or a driver of a car, can avoidgetting disturbed by glare and this results in a much comfortable, andsafe, driving experience.

According to an aspect method further comprising determining, based onthe image view, a direction of the face of the vehicle occupant inrelation to the position of the camera. The knowledge of the directionof the face of the vehicle occupant in relation to the position of thecamera is used when determining the area where to activate the glareprotector.

According to an aspect, determining the direction to a light source isachieved by comparing the image view of the face of the vehicle occupantwith at least one pre-stored image view, wherein the at least onepre-stored image view being associated with a known direction to a lightsource causing correlating levels of light at plural parts of a face inthe at least one pre-stored image view as the light source is causing tothe face of the vehicle occupant in the image view, and assigning thesame direction to be the direction to the light source. In other words,the direction between the face and the light source can be determined byutilizing the already existing direction data that is associated withthe pre-stored image that has similar, or correlating parts, of the facewith the correlating levels of lights, e.g. the same shadow effects, asthe image view of the vehicle occupant. The information about thedirection between the face and the light source is used when determiningthe area where to activate the glare protector.

The disclosure further proposes a computer program product comprising anon-transitory computer readable medium, having thereon a computerprogram comprising program instructions, the computer program beingloadable into a data processing unit and configured to cause executionof the method when the computer program is run by the processingcircuitry. This means that the method can be transferred or downloadedfrom the computer readable medium and used in plural devices and/orsystems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of the example aspects, as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference characters refer to the same partsthroughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily toscale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the exampleembodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates glare by light sources that are affecting a driveraccording to prior art.

FIG. 2 illustrates a glare prevention system for implementing theproposed method according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a an exemplary image view of a smart window withlight blocking segments according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary image view of different levels of lightat plural parts of a face of the vehicle occupant according to an aspectof the disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrates pre-stored image views according to an aspect ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrates determination of a direction between the faceand the light source according to an aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of the method steps according to thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method anddevice disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many differentforms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects setforth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elementsthroughout.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects of the disclosure only, and is not intended to limit thedisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise.

In some implementations and according to some aspects of the disclosure,the functions or steps noted in the blocks can occur out of the ordernoted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown insuccession can in fact be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks can sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality/acts involved.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplaryaspects of the disclosure. However, many variations and modificationscan be made to these aspects without substantially departing from theprinciples of the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure should beregarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and not as beinglimited to the particular aspects discussed above. Accordingly, althoughspecific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation. Different aspects can becombined in any combination of two or more aspects.

It should be noted that the word “comprising” does not necessarilyexclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed. Itshould further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scopeof the claims, that the example embodiments may be implemented at leastin part by means of both hardware and software, and that several“means”, “units” or “devices” may be represented by the same item ofhardware.

Today it is common for occupants of a vehicle, in particular for thedriver of a vehicle, to get dazzled by light is the eyes while driving.Glare can be caused in particular by the sun, e.g. during sunset andsunrise, illustrated as 30 b in FIG. 1 . Reflections of sunlight canalso cause glare, e.g. from a wet road or from windows of nearbybuildings or other vehicles. Glare can also be caused by different lightsources such as from headlights from other cars as illustrated as 30 ain FIG. 1 . Glare can have a blinding effect on the driver and make thedriver less capable of seeing important objects. Glare can be painfuland irritating, and it can also be dangerous and risk the safety of thedriving. If the driver cannot see due to the glare, the driver can in aworst case end up in an accident causing death or injury. A natural wayto get glare protection is to hold up a hand that shadows the eyes.

The inventor has identified that there is a demand for a better, moreconvenient, and safer way to prevent glare. An object of the presentdisclosure is to provide a system and method which seek to mitigate,alleviate, or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficienciesin the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination.

The disclosure proposes a glare prevention system for a vehicle that isillustrated in FIG. 2 . For illustrative purpose the vehicle is a carbut the vehicle could also be a bus, truck, tractor, motorbike, boat,ship, aero plane, helicopter etc.

The glare prevention system comprising a camera 200 arranged to providean image view iv of a vehicle occupant 10. According to an aspect thecamera 200 is installed in the vehicle facing the vehicle occupant 10.According to an aspect the camera 200 is a camera of a portableelectronic device that can be placed at a certain location in order toprovide an image view iv of the vehicle occupant. According to an aspectthe image view iv is represented by image data provided by the camera200. The vehicle occupant 10 could be any person that is in the vehicle,for example the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant 10 can alsobe a passenger.

The glare prevention system further comprise a glare protector 40 a, 40b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n arranged to at least dampen light from alight source 30 a, 30 b so that the vehicle occupant 10 is lessdisturbed. According to an aspect the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c,40 d, . . . , 40 n is at least any of a smart window 400 a, 400 b withlight blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n, a movable curtain46 or a movable cover element 47. According to an aspect all windows ofthe vehicle can be equipped with a glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40d, . . . , 40 n. In the aspect illustrated in the FIG. 2 the windscreen14 and the left side window 15 a are equipped with glare protectors 40a, 40 b in form of smart windows 400 a, 400 b. The right side window 15b in FIG. 2 is equipped with two glare protectors 40 c, 40 d in the formof a movable curtain 46 and a movable cover element 47 in form of alight blocking window shutter.

The According to an aspect the glare protector 40 a, 40 b is a smartwindow 400 a, 400 b. The smart window 400 a, 400 b is equipped withlight blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n that can be used tocontrol the amount of light that is allowed to pass through the smartwindow 400 a, 400 b. A smart window 400 a, 400 b is illustrated in FIG.3 . In particular FIG. 3 is magnifying a part of the smart window 400 a,400 b to illustrate the light blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . .45 n. In FIG. 3 light blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n areeither black or white, but according to an aspect the light blockingsegments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n are dimmable so that they cangradually turn from fully transparent to fully block light. The lightblocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c, . . . , 45 n can be controlled anddynamically activated in the smart window 400 a, 400 b. The lightblocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n can be maintainedactivated in a certain area that is a part of the smart window 400 a,400 b with constant electricity applied or shift state by applyingelectricity and keep that state without constant electricity applied.According to an aspect the light blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . .. 45 n can be of different size and activated one by one or in a groupof light blocking segments 45 a, 45 b, 45 c . . . 45 n. The glass of thesmart window 400 a, 400 b can also be referred to as a “smart glass”, or“dimmable glass”, or “electrochromic glass” with the effect of providinga damping, shadowing or blocking light.

The glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n can be anyobject that is arranged to dampen or block light. This means that theglare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n can be pureelectric, electro-mechanic, or mechanic depending on the best suitabledesign for the vehicle in question and depending on any existingapparatus in the vehicle that can be used by the glare prevention system100. According to an aspect the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 dis a movable metal rooftop or a tinted window, or an external sunshadecurtain that already exists on the vehicle.

The system further comprising a processing circuitry 102, connected tothe camera 200 and the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . ,40 n. The processing circuitry 102 can be a Central Processing Unit,CPU, or any processing unit carrying out instructions of a computerprogram or operating system. According to an aspect the a processingcircuitry 102 is connected to the camera and the glare protector 40 a,40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n via a local wired or wirelesscommunication. According to an aspect the processing circuitry 102 isconnected to the camera and the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d,. . . , 40 n via a communication network 50. In one example thecommunication network 50 is a standardized wireless local area networksuch as a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, Bluetooth™, ZigBee,Ultra-Wideband, Near Field Communication, NFC, Radio FrequencyIdentification, RFID, or similar network. In one example thecommunication network 50 is a standardized wireless wide area networksuch as a Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM, Extended GSM,General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, Enhanced Data Rates for GSMEvolution, EDGE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA, LongTerm Evolution, LTE, Narrowband-loT, 5G, Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access, WiMAX or Ultra Mobile Broadband, UMB or similarnetwork. The communication network 50 can also be a combination of botha local area network and a wide area network. The communication network50 can also be a wired network. According to some aspects of thedisclosure the communication network 50 is defined by common InternetProtocols. In other words the processing carried out by the a processingcircuitry 102 can either be local or in a remote node.

The processing circuitry 102 is configured to cause the glare preventionsystem 100 to provide an image view iv of the face of the vehicleoccupant 10. According to an aspect the image view iv is represented byimage data that can be processed by the processing circuitry 102.

The processing circuitry 102 is further configured to cause the glareprevention system 100 to determine, based on the image view iv,different levels of light at plural parts of the face of the vehicleoccupant 10. According to an aspect, the image data of the image view isprocessed by the processing circuitry 102 for identifying differentlevels of light at plural parts of the face. FIG. 4 illustrates anexample of a face of a vehicle occupant. The square pattern in FIG. 4illustrates plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant 10.According to an aspect the level of light at different parts of the faceof the vehicle occupant 10 is detected by a light sensor in the camera200. The camera 200 captures the light in the face of the vehicleoccupant 10 and convert it into electrical signals and this informationcan be processed by the processing circuitry 102. Each part has acertain level of light. In the illustration in FIG. 4 the right cheekand the area to the right of the nose of the vehicle occupant 10 isdarker compared to other parts of the face.

The processing circuitry 102 is further configured to cause the glareprevention system 100 to determine a direction v-light between the faceand the light source 30 a, 30 b causing the different levels of light atthe plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant 10. In an exampleas illustrated in FIG. 2 the direction v-light between the face and thelight source 30 a, exemplified by the headlights of opposing traffic, isillustrated with an arrow “v-light”.

The processing circuitry 102 is further configured to cause the glareprevention system 100 to determine an area 20 a, 20 b where to activatethe glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n and thenactivate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n in thedetermined area 20 a, 20 b to protect the vehicle occupant from glarecaused by the light source 30 a, 30 b. According to an aspect the area20 a, 20 b where to activate the glare protector has a centre that isalong the axis of the vector defined by the direction v-light betweenthe face and the light source 30 a, 30 b. According to an aspect thesize of the area 20 a, 20 b is determined by the different levels oflight at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant 10 that theglare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n is causing afterbeing activated. In particular, if the eyes of the vehicle occupant 10is shadowed after activating the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d,. . . , 40 n the size is sufficient. According to an aspect the size ofthe area 20 a, 20 b is dynamically changed to protect the vehicleoccupant from glare caused by the light source 30 a, 30 b. According toan aspect the size of the area 20 a, 20 b has a predefined shape such asa square, ellipse or circle. The area 20 a, 20 b where to activate theglare protector 40 a, 40 b is illustrated in FIG. 2 . According to anaspect the size of the glare protector 40 a, 40 b is larger than thearea 20 a, 20 b to minimize the risk of getting blinded by the glarecaused by the light source 30 a, 30 b. In illustration in FIG. 2 thesize of the glare protector 40 a, 40 b is larger than the area 20 a, 20b.

In FIG. 2 the glare protectors 40 a and 40 b are in the form of smartwindows 400 a, 400 b. The shape of the glare protectors 40 a and 40 bcan hence have different shape. According to an aspect the glareprotectors 40 a and 40 b are elliptical, circular or rectangular.According to an aspect the glare protector 40 a of the windscreen 14 isin the form of a smart window 400 a and the shape of the protector 40 ahas a shape of a traditional glare shield. According to an aspect theglare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n is moving from topto down when activated until the vehicle occupant 10 is protected fromglare caused by the light source 30 a, 30 b.

An advantage with the system is that an occupant of a vehicle, e.g. anoperator or a driver of a car, can avoid getting disturbed by glare andthis results in a much comfortable, and safe, driving experience.

According to an aspect the processing circuitry 102 is furtherconfigured to cause the glare prevention system 100 to determine, basedon the image view iv, a direction of the face v-face of the vehicleoccupant 10 in relation to the position of the camera 200. The knowledgeof the direction of the face v-face of the vehicle occupant 10 inrelation to the position of the camera 200 is used when determining thearea 20 a, 20 b where to activate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c,40 d, . . . , 40 n. According to an aspect the position of the camera200 is static in relation to the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d,. . . , 40 n and hence the direction of the face v-face of the vehicleoccupant 10 in relation to the position of the camera 200 is used whendetermining the area 20 a, 20 b where to activate the glare protector.

According to an aspect, determining the direction v-light between theface and the light source 30 a, 30 b comprising comparing the image viewiv of the face of the vehicle occupant 10 with at least one pre-storedimage view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m), wherein the atleast one pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3),iv(n+m) being associated with a known direction v-light-known(n),v-light-known(n+1), v-light-known(n+2), v-light-known(n+3), . . . ,v-light-known(n+m) to a known light source causing correlating levels oflight at correlating plural parts of a face in the at least onepre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) as thelight source 30 a, 30 b is causing to the face of the vehicle occupant10 in the image view iv, and assigning the same direction to be thedirection v-light to the light source 30 a, 30 b. According to an aspectthe known direction v-light-known(n), v-light-known(n+1),v-light-known(n+2), v-light-known(n+3), . . . , v-light-known(n+m) isrepresented by direction data that can be processed by the processingcircuitry 102. According to an aspect the correlation can be pre-set oradjusted to allow a certain correlation, or a certain probability, thata certain pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3),iv(n+m) is correlated to the image view iv.

According to an aspect the pre-stored image views iv(n), iv(n+1),iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m), each associated with a known directionv-light-known(n), v-light-known(n+1), v-light-known(n+2),v-light-known(n+3), . . . , v-light-known(n+m), are stored in a memory104 a, 104 b accessible by the processing circuitry 102. According to anaspect the memory 104 a is a local memory that is in the vehicle.According to an aspect the memory is a remote memory 104 b accessiblevia the communication network 50. In other words, processing of imagedata and direction data can be carried out at a remote location.

The direction v-light between the face and the light source 30 can hencebe determined by utilizing the already existing direction data that isassociated with the pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2),iv(n+3), iv(n+m) that has similar, or correlating parts, of the facewith the correlating levels of lights, e.g. the same shadow effects, asthe image view of the vehicle occupant 10.

According to an aspect each pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1),iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) is associated with different levels of lightat plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant 10. FIGS. 5A-5Dillustrates different pre-stored image views iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2),iv(n+3), iv(n+m) each having different levels of light at plural partsof the face. The different levels of light at plural parts of the faceis caused by light from a certain direction. The position of the lightsource defines the direction v-light between the face and the lightsource. With the knowledge of a certain known shadow effect of a facecaused by a light source at a certain known position, the directionv-light between the face and the light source can be associated withthat that image view of the face. Hence, at least one pre-stored imageview iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) associated with a knowndirection v-light-known(n), v-light-known(n+1), v-light-known(n+2),v-light-known(n+3), . . . , v-light-known(n+m) to a known light sourcethat is causing correlating levels of light at correlating plural partsof a face in the at least one pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1),iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) as the light source 30 a, 30 b is causing tothe face of the vehicle occupant 10 in the image view iv is used fordetermining the direction v-light to the light source 30 a, 30 b.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrates different pre-stored image views iv(n), iv(n+1),iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) each having different levels of light atplural parts of the face and each image view is associated with a knowndirection v-light-known(n), v-light-known(n+1), v-light-known(n+2),v-light-known(n+3), . . . , v-light-known(n+m) to a known light source.In FIGS. 5A-5D the arrows illustrates the known direction for each imageview.

According to an aspect the pre-stored image views iv(n), iv(n+1),iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) are digital three dimensional computergenerated images. According to an aspect there are an infinite number ofimage views iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m), each generated bya computer program. According to an aspect at least one pre-stored imageview iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) comprising a threedimensional image of a face having correlating levels of light at thecorrelating plural parts of the face as the face of the vehicle occupant10 in the image view iv. An advantage with using a three dimensionalimage of a face is that the processing of the image view by theprocessing circuitry 102 can be more efficient.

According to an aspect the at least one pre-stored image view iv(n),iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) comprising a three dimensional imageof the face of the vehicle occupant 10 having correlating levels oflight at the correlating plural parts of the face as the face of thevehicle occupant 10 in the image view iv. This means that a more preciseface data of the specific vehicle occupant 10 can be used for a betterdetermination of the area 20 a, 20 b where to activate the glareprotector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n. According to an aspectthe pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m)comprising a three dimensional image of the face of the vehicle occupant10 generated by the camera 200 during set up phase and stored in thememory 104 a, 104 b accessible by the processing circuitry 102.

In one example a certain vehicle occupant 10 can have a personal digitalprofile or account with pre-stored image views iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2),iv(n+3), iv(n+m) of the vehicle occupant 10 that can be accessible bythe processing circuitry 102.

The information about the direction v-light between the face and thelight source 30 a, 30 b is used when determining the area 20 a, 20 bwhere to activate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40n.

According to an aspect the direction of the face v-face of the vehicleoccupant is defined by a three dimensional vector that is perpendicularto a two dimensional plane that is connecting the eyes and the chin ofthe vehicle occupant. An advantage with defining the direction of theface v-face in this way is that it is easy for a camera to detect theeyes and the chin of a human and also that the line of sight for mosthumans is within the viewing angle around this vector.

According to an aspect the direction of the face v-face of the vehicleoccupant is determined in relation to the position of the camera 200and/or the at least one glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . ,40 n. An advantage with knowing the direction of the face v-face of thevehicle occupant in relation to the camera 200 and/or the at least oneglare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n is that the camera200 and/or the at least one glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . .. , 40 n are/is mounted in the vehicle and hence static.

According to an aspect the direction to the light source v-light isrelative to the direction of the face v-face of the vehicle occupant.The knowledge of this relation is useful information that can beprocessed by the processing circuitry 102 when determining the area 20a, 20 b where to activate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, .. . , 40 n.

According to an aspect the area 20 a, 20 b where to provide the glareprotector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n to protect the vehicleoccupant from glare caused by a light source 30 a, 30 b, is determinedby using the direction v-light to the light source 30 a, 30 b and thedirection of the face v-face of the vehicle occupant 10 in relation tothe position of the camera 200. The knowledge of these relations can beused for better determination of the area 20 a, 20 b where to activatethe glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n.

With reference to FIG. 7 the disclosure further proposes a method forprotecting a vehicle occupant 10 from glare caused by a light source 30a, 30 b. The glare prevention system 100 is adapted for carrying out themethod. Aspects of the glare prevention system 100 described above canbe carried out by the method described below.

The disclosure proposes a method for protecting a vehicle occupant 10from glare caused by a light source 30 a, 30 b. The method comprisingthe steps of S1 providing, by a camera 200, an image view iv of the faceof the vehicle occupant 10 and S2 determining, based on the image viewiv, levels of light at plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant10. This is followed by the step S4 determining a direction v-light to alight source 30 a, 30 b causing the levels of light at plural parts ofthe face of the vehicle occupant 10 and S5 determining an area 20 a, 20b where to activate a glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40n, and then in the step S6 activating the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n in the determined area 20 a, 20 b to protect thevehicle occupant 10 from glare caused by a light source 30 a, 30 b. Anadvantage with the system is that an occupant of a vehicle, e.g. anoperator or a driver of a car, can avoid getting disturbed by glare andthis results in a much comfortable, and safe, driving experience.

According to an aspect method further comprising the step S3determining, based on the image view iv, a direction of the face v-faceof the vehicle occupant 10 in relation to the position of the camera200. The knowledge of the direction of the face v-face of the vehicleoccupant 10 in relation to the position of the camera 200 is used whendetermining the area 20 a, 20 b where to activate the glare protector 40a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n. According to an aspect thedetermination of the area 20 a, 20 b is done continuously due to themovement of the vehicle, the movement of the vehicle occupant 10, andthe movement of the light source 30 a, 30 b. According to an aspect theglare prevention system 100 is dynamic in constant operation in order toprotect the vehicle occupant 10 from glare caused by a light source 30a, 30 b. Hence, according to an aspect the area 20 a, 20 b where toactivate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n isconstantly changing.

According to an aspect, determining the direction v-light to a lightsource 30 a, 30 b is achieved by comparing the image view iv of the faceof the vehicle occupant 10 with at least one pre-stored image viewiv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m), wherein the at least onepre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2), iv(n+3), iv(n+m) beingassociated with a known direction v-light-known(n), v-light-known(n+1),v-light-known(n+2), v-light-known(n+3), . . . , v-light-known(n+m) to alight source causing correlating levels of light at plural parts of aface in the at least one pre-stored image view iv(n), iv(n+1), iv(n+2),iv(n+3), iv(n+m) as the light source 30 a, 30 b is causing to the faceof the vehicle occupant 10 in the image view iv, and assigning the samedirection to be the direction v-light to the light source 30 a, 30 b. Inother words, the direction v-light between the face and the light source30 can be determined by utilizing the already existing direction datathat is associated with the pre-stored image that has similar, orcorrelating parts, of the face with the correlating levels of lights,e.g. the same shadow effects, as the image view of the vehicle occupant10. The information about the direction v-light between the face and thelight source 30 a, 30 b is used when determining the area 20 a, 20 bwhere to activate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40n.

In FIGS. 6A-C it is illustrated how the direction v-light between theface and the light source 30 a, 30 b can be determined, according to anaspect.

FIG. 6A illustrates an image view of a face of a vehicle occupant, iv1,with an unknown direction, v-light1, between the face and the lightsource 30 a, 30 b. The face in FIG. 6A has different levels of light atplural parts of the face, in particular the shadowed areas A and B.

FIG. 6B illustrates a pre-stored image view iv(n) associated with aknown direction v-light-known(n). The face in the pre-stored image viewiv(n), illustrated in FIG. 6B, has correlating levels of light at pluralparts of the face A′, B′ as the light source 30 a, 30 b is causing tothe face A,B of the vehicle occupant 10 in the image view iv1, that isillustrated in FIG. 6A.

With the knowledge of the known direction v-light-known(n) and thecorrelation between the pre-stored image view iv(n) and the image viewof a face of a vehicle occupant, iv1, the direction, v-light1, isassigned to be the same as for the pre-stored image view iv(n), namelyv-light-known(n)=v-light1. Now, with the knowledge of v-light1, theglare prevention system 100 can determine an area 20 a, 20 b where toactivate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 n andthen activate the glare protector 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, 40 d, . . . , 40 nto protect the vehicle occupant from glare caused by the light source 30a, 30 b.

The disclosure further proposes a computer program product comprising anon-transitory computer readable medium, having thereon a computerprogram comprising program instructions, the computer program beingloadable into a data processing unit and configured to cause executionof the method when the computer program is run by the processingcircuitry 102. This means that the method can be transferred ordownloaded from the computer readable medium and used in plural devicesand/or systems.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, the method is carried out byinstructions in a software program that is downloaded and run in theglare prevention system 100. In the drawings and specification, therehave been disclosed exemplary embodiments. However, many variations andmodifications can be made to these embodiments. Accordingly, althoughspecific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of theembodiments being defined by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A glare prevention system for a vehiclecomprising: a camera arranged to provide an occupant image view, theoccupant image view being of a face of a vehicle occupant; a glareprotector arranged to dampen light from a light source so less lightfrom the light source is incident on eyes of the vehicle occupant; and aprocessing circuitry, connected to the camera and the glare protector,the processing circuitry configured to: determine, based on the occupantimage view provided by the camera, different levels of light at pluralparts of the face of the vehicle occupant; determine a direction betweenthe face and the light source causing the different levels of light atthe plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant by comparing theoccupant image view with a plurality of pre-stored image views, whereineach pre-stored image view is associated with a known direction to aknown light source that causes different light levels at plural parts ofa face in the pre-stored image, so as to correlate the light levels inthe occupant image view with corresponding light levels in one of thepre-stored image views; assign the known direction of the correlatedpre-stored image to be the direction of the vehicle occupant to thelight source; determine an area of the glare protector to activate; andactivate the glare protector in the determined area to protect thevehicle occupant from glare caused by the light source.
 2. The glareprevention system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitryis further configured to cause the glare prevention system to:determine, based on the occupant image view, a direction of the face ofthe vehicle occupant in relation to the position of the camera.
 3. Theglare prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the glareprotector is one of: a smart window with light blocking segments; amovable curtain; or a movable cover element.
 4. The glare preventionsystem according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the face of thevehicle occupant is defined by a three dimensional vector that isperpendicular to a two dimensional plane that connects the eyes and thechin of the vehicle occupant.
 5. The glare prevention system accordingto claim 1, wherein the direction of the face of the vehicle occupant isdetermined in relation to the position of the camera and/or the at leastone glare protector.
 6. The glare prevention system according to claim1, wherein the level of light at different parts of the face of thevehicle occupant is detected by a light sensor in the camera.
 7. Theglare prevention system according to claim 1, wherein in the directionto the light source is relative to the direction of the face of thevehicle occupant.
 8. The glare prevention system according to claim 1,wherein the area where to provide the glare protector to protect thevehicle occupant from glare caused by a light source, is determined byusing the direction to the light source and the direction of the face ofthe vehicle occupant in relation to the position of the camera.
 9. Amethod for protecting a vehicle occupant from glare caused by a lightsource, the method comprising: providing, by a camera, an occupant imageview, the occupant image view being of the face of the vehicle occupant;determining, based on the occupant image view, different levels of lightat plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant; determining adirection of the face to a light source causing the different levels oflight at the plural parts of the face of the vehicle occupant bycomparing the occupant image view with a plurality of pre-stored imageviews, wherein each pre-stored image view is associated with a knowndirection to a known light source that causes different light levels atplural parts of a face in the pre-stored image, so as to correlate thelight levels in the occupant image view with corresponding light levelsin one of the pre-stored image views; assigning the known direction ofthe correlated pre-stored image to be the direction of the vehicleoccupant to the light source; determining an area of a glare protectorto activate; and activating the glare protector in the determined areato protect the vehicle occupant from glare caused by a light source. 10.The method according to claim 9 further comprising, determining, basedon the occupant image view, a direction of the face of the vehicleoccupant in relation to the position of the camera.
 11. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium, having stored thereon a computer programcomprising program instructions, the computer program being loadableinto a data processing unit and configured to cause execution of themethod according to claim 9 when the computer program is run by the dataprocessing unit.